Thoughts on books, reading and publishing from the staff and friends of the Tattered Cover Book Store.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Our Teen Blogger Shares More Great YA Books

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Trinity says:

"In The Goddess Test, Kate has just moved to an old town as her mother’s death wish. When she meets a boy named Henry who claims to be Hades, he says that he can keep her mother alive while she tries to pass a test to become a Greek goddess. But there is a catch, all of the girls who have tried before have died.

I recommend this fantasy-romance for teenage girls because of a somewhat cliché plot that could cause disinterest for older readers. Overall, I enjoyed this book because of the interesting characters and creative take on Greek mythology."

An epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away. The first book in the new series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Fallen series

Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined.

Trinity says:

"Eureka has been a depressed and misunderstood teenager since her mother died in a rogue wave. When she sees the same boy everywhere she goes and her friend begins to act out of character and many other strange events, she believes she can put an end to it. Her mother told her that she can never, ever cry, but will all of this be her breaking point?

This is a fantastic and mysterious read that will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I recommend this for anyone willing to read a sad but mesmerizing book."

Who is Jenna Fox?

Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

This fascinating novel represents a stunning new direction for acclaimed author Mary Pearson. Set in a near future America, it takes readers on an unforgettable journey through questions of bio-medical ethics and the nature of humanity. Mary Pearson's vividly drawn characters and masterful writing soar to a new level of sophistication.

Trinity says:

"Jenna Fox was in a coma for year until she woke up one day in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people and an unfamiliar name. Her family told her that she was in an accident and lost her memory. She sees herself in the home videos she is forced to watch, and as she regains her memories she is even further confused as to who she really is.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox is great book in which you will discover who Jenna is along with her. It is a very unique and creative book with many surprises along the way. I recommend this to anyone interested in this unusual writing concept."

"If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human."

When Thomas wakes
up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s
surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

"Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade."

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a
limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever
made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying. Remember. Survive. Run.

Trinity says:

"In The Maze Runner, a community of boys try to escape a closed environment surrounded by a mysterious and dangerous maze. All of the boys have lost their memories except for their names. When the first girl arrives with a message, the mission to escape grows more urgent. This is a great novel for anyone who enjoys apocalyptic or science fiction books."